An inquiry by MPs on the Public Accounts Committee has concluded that the Government lacks the data and systems to properly understand the crime of modern slavery, its victims and its perpetrators.

The Committee, which scrutinises public spending, found that the Home Office does not know “how much money it spends tackling modern slavery or what success looks like, meaning it cannot establish whether its strategy is working or how it should prioritise its actions.”

Of particular concern is the failure of the system to ensure adequate support and care for victims. The report highlights the delays in decision-making under the National Referral Mechanism which assesses whether a person has or has not been a victim of modern slavery. The MPs conclude that these delays are “causing distress and anxiety to vulnerable people and increasing the costs of the victim care contract.”

The report also identifies a lack of understanding of happens to victims after they leave the NRM decision-making process and short-term support. The Committee criticised the fact that “the NRM does not capture what happens to victims after they leave the NRM, and so the Department does not know whether victims have been re-trafficked.”

There have been many reports of victims becoming destitute and homeless after the NRM process putting them at increased risk of re-trafficking. CARE is supporting Lord McColl’s Modern Slavery (Victim Support) Bill that will offer victims a 12 month rehabilitation period after leaving the NRM to protect them from re-trafficking and help them build a new life beyond their exploitation. This report highlights that there has been too much focus on deciding whether someone has been a victim or not, and not enough attention to helping victims recover and move on into a safe future.

The MPs also found that the Home Office is letting down victims by failing to put in place minimum standards for the care they receive, saying “in the absence of clear care standards and an inspection regime, the Department has no way of knowing that victims are receiving adequate care.” Lord McColl’s Bill also includes a requirement for the creation of minimum standards for victim care.

The Committee also criticises the Government’s “hands off approach” to monitoring businesses’ compliance with transparency in company supply chains legislation saying that it is not working and expresses concern about the “extreme variation” in the response to this crime from different police forces.

Click here to read the full report on the Parliament website.

Find out how you can support the Modern Slavery (Victim Support) Bill here.